The Pierce County ferry Christine Anderson will be going into dry dock Tuesday, April 16 for routine inspection and maintenance.
The 213-foot vessel will be out of service for a month and replaced by the older, smaller backup ferry Steilacoom.
The Christine Anderson carries a maximum load of 54 vehicles and 250 passengers.
It makes 9 Monday through Thursday, 12 Friday and 11 weekend runs between Steilacoom and Anderson Island and two weekday and three weekend runs to and from Ketron Island.
The Steilacoom carries 30 vehicles and 149 passengers.
To make up for the capacity loss, Pierce County Public Works and Utilities and its ferry contractor, Pacific Western Marine Inc., will add three runs Mondays through Thursdays to Anderson Island, at 5 a.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The Ketron Island schedule remains unchanged.
The county ferry is required by U.S. Coast Guard regulations to go into dry dock every two years for inspection and maintenance.
The Christine Anderson was built for $5.2 million and put into service in 1994.
It replaced the Steilacoom.